The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-08

sentative business and professional men tor thl
board 1t is not exceeding merited comphmen
10 saw that teacher who has been connected
With the Indianapolis schools enjoys preference
over other applicants in other critics
AS an indication of the growth of the city TIT
postofhce offers some sisnincan
'acts The letter-carrier system was introduced
lere July l. 1869, with six teen carriers The
lis ribution of the daily mail by that system re
ruires the services of thirty seven men. mum
1er that is deemed insufficient For the guar
arge Offices in the country reported
comparisons with the corresponding
,uarter last year. Only four cities
n the country exceeded Indianapolis in her per
,entace of increase. Pittsburg. Minneapolis, ST
Paul and Chicago. The increase lndlanopoIi:
showed was 124 per cent, which indicated
doubling of the business of the office every eight
years. In the respect OF general postal ousl-
ness Indianapolis stands the sixth in the United
States. Last year /. 2500 600 pounds OF second
bird and fourth class mail matter was forwarded
rom the Office. The average daily sale OF stamps
s about $500.
considered, without exception, better than Is at
orded in any city in the United States; this by
eason of the efficiency of a thoroughly tralne
ind admirably differed fire department Fires
n Indianapolis no less numerous than IN
,ther cities. but they are so soon extngulsheo,
before the flames fairly get under Roadway,
hat the resulting loss IS usualy
mall The largest loss oy hre
,eirs' block, on Washington street. amounted to
tut SIG, 3O1, of which So 500 was to the building.
IN old-fashioned structure that has seen over
orty years service. There are eighty-two men
n the fire department, including officers, and
hey hold their places solely by merit, politics
having nothing to do either with getting man
nto the department or out OF It. There are
even steam engines. SIX of which are In service;
wo large chemical engines, twenty -hve hand
ten hose-wagons, two hook and-ladder
rucks.
The water supply of the city is furnished by
he Holly yyater-works system. The water com
thomas A Morris, and supplies large part OF
he domestic and manufacturing service of the
,ity, and all its fire service. The supply
; brought from a point near the river. ABOVE
THAT is known the Fall Creek cutoff, where
ne water is accumulated in a gallery OF eloncat-
d well abont l. 200 feet long by fifty feet wide
nd fifteen deep. which cannot De damaged by
iver infliltratIon. Below its bed about forty
set is second current, which has been reached
y boring. and rises above the surface of
be gallery water, and which can be
expended upon to produce pure
upply. Numerous analyses made of the water
urnished by this company have shown it to be
ure and healthful. No city in the United
tate has large water supply in quality APP
reaching that furnished this city in purity.
he works have for the rast year furnished. on
n average, a little less than five million gallons
ally, but in case of emergency, with the two
DTS of machinery that the company has, they
ould pump twenty million gallons in twenty
,ur hours. Hydrants are placed at convenient
istances over the city. and under this system of
irect pressure hose can be used effectively by
10 fire department. from the hydrants.
The City's Banking Facilities.
The period of bank failures in Indianapolis
as a period of commercial depression and
rostration. The condition of the six banks of
the city is now as encouraging as the revival
all lines of business. The banks had on
and in April $lO 900, 000 which is more money
ian has been in Indianapolis since the
letcher & Sharpe failure. 1t is
ot unusual for the larger banks
handle 100000 in receipt and disburse-
tents each day. The uost tangible indication
the amount Of money which is being handl ed
the returns of the clearinghouse. The total
.ansactions at the clearing house for March,
$780, So 65s, 103. Ga; for April, 1885, 50. 636,
avs of. May. 1886, s1.526, OIL Sc. For
,e corresponding periods in 1887 the
'ansact:ons were, respectively, $12. $685. 9os. 80,
Ia, 289. 902 Is and $2,G1O. 57744. The total for
le period in 1886 is $50. $780, 65s "a, and in 1887,
20, 796, 3S7 so, or an increase in 1887 of 43 per
ant More significant still is the fact that the
lcrease for the first four days in May is 20 per
>nt.. while for March it was only 80 per cent !,
nd for April. 4s per cent The steady increase
business since March / is thus very apparent
Great, however, the transactions, the
emand for money is not equal to the supply,
nd the officers at most of the banks express
as willing. if not anxious, to loan
loney for legitimate business. Indeed, several
,unties, indicating that their present capacities
re- not only adequate to the demand. but that
le citys interests may materially increase with
ut the necessity for moro banks.
Great care is exercised in lending money. In
le specializing days of the seventies much
loney was loaned on real estate. Now the real
state Spectator, SO far as the bank is con-
,rned, pays cash. Money Is not loaned for
-siness capital
Very much moro collateral paper is being tax
i than formerly. It was also customary in the
nte- bank failure days to furnish exchange at
ar and to pay interest on certain classes of daily
alances The banks no longer sustain a loss on
xchange, but realize a profit, and interest is
per cent Fifteen to twenty-five per cent of
leir deposits was the usual resources kept on
and by the earlier banks, several of
le city banks now carry so per
snt of their liabilities is available money. 1.-THE
'curity afforded to depositors by such methods, !"
lid man we'll versed in banking, would be
opreciated if it were generally known that %
n cent. is legitimate banking and SO per cent
excellent banking" Sound banking principles
ave taken the place of the questionable meth
Is induced by the ruinous competition between
e larger number of banks which operated here
store the failures. Time was when Indianapo-
bankers were subject for adverse criticism,
1t the commentator which they re-
living from other cities is establishing feeling
confidence and independence among them.
OF the six banks il the city four are national
the indianapolis, the Meridian, the Indiana
ID the Merchants. There are two others
etcher's and the Bank of Commerce, the form
being private concern and the latter being
ganized under State charter. The six repre-
mt 81 $780, 900 capital and 1920, 900 surplus. The
posts in April were 81, SIG, 900.
A Great Railway City.
Early in the development of railroad trans
rtation, Indianapolis became widely known
an important center of the States system of
always. That was at a time when the lines
ere short, continuous travel inconvenient and
INJECTIONS uncertain. But with the period of
nsolidaton, the Indiana railroads either be-
me closely connected with the projected trunk